Coffee, Cupcakes, Cookies Oh My!

Friday, January 13

I see myself as a caffeine addict. I love coffee. I also love soft bread, donuts, cupcake, milk, and, cereal yet the list doesn’t end there. I know what everyone says about that stuff. I know the physiology behind why it’s bad for you (although coffee does have some good points). I also know about the sourcing, and getting things local and non GMO, as well as benefits of eating organic. I’m well read on the monster that Monsanto has become, and the downfall of the food industry. I know the FDA has issues and the USDA because the food pyramid is all messed up. I know it all. (Yes, I just made myself a self proclaimed know-it-all!) Yet, I still drink coffee, eat donuts and once in a while drink milk! Ok, I might have had a bowl of Kashi lately, as well as a cookie here and there. But that’s all. Well, alright there was the hot fudge sundae, chocolate truffle, and cupcake too. Still okay. Right! Right?

So why do you care? Maybe you don’t. Maybe it doesn’t bother you that I tell other people how to eat, that I push organic food and regurgitate everything I know to educate the masses so they don’t make all the mistakes I do. Then I go home and eat a chocolate chip cookie, or two as it may be some days.

I’m telling you this because I’m human. We are all human. We could look at these things as making mistakes. However, maybe they are just indulging a little. Maybe they are listening to the internal voice that says, I need a little milk because it’s calming to me. I grew up on dairy farm, we drank raw milk right out of the bulk tank and I loved it! So now, it’s not just a drink it’s some nostalgia, some remembering, bringing up those past moments when it was a simple part of life. In Chinese Medicine eating small amounts of food that feed your soul (even it’s a Granny’s donut), can create more Qi for you than an organic meal of roasted veggies.

I subscribe to the 80-20 mentality. If you aren’t familiar, it’s about being really good 80% of the time. Making those healthy choices for myself about organic, locally sourced, non-GMO, grass-fed foods that provide me with the nutrition I need to be my best. And I also supplement to make sure I am getting a whole gambit of micronutrients that maybe even my food isn’t providing. Then 20% of the time I indulge a little. I don’t drink a gallon of skim milk, I have an 8oz glass of whole organic milk, grass fed. I don’t eat a cookie the size of my face, but I eat a smaller one that will fit in my palm. Sometimes it’s gluten free, or made with almond flour, and sometimes its just straight up white flour, lots of sugar and filled with as many chocolate chips as they can fit in there. Maybe we’ll just get really crappy pizza from the local pizza parlor. The idea is that I get to do it and it nurtures me. I never feel like I’m deprived. I don’t feel guilty, it just gets to be a pleasure. I don’t do it everyday, or even most of the week. It’s been about creating a relationship with myself and my food.

This took me a while to grasp. I went through a lot of ups and downs figuring this out, and educating myself was time consuming. I’ve had to figure out what foods affect me what ways and how I can eat around those issues. I did it by listening to myself, reading a crap ton of material,and learning from some gurus in the nutrition realm. It’s also good to note, that not everyone can eat the same. We all differ so much from our history, our genetics, epigenetics, and lifestyle, to name a few factors, that not everyone can eat any one way.

If you are someone who is at a loss of how to move forward in your food choices you have options. Nutritional counseling would be a great benefit to you. It would help you make a plan, determine where your issues are with food, and support your process. If you are in a place where you are already managing your intake like a champ, yet there is still some relationship issues with food maybe you need to try some IntraPersonal Guided Imagery. You might also want to deal with all of it at once, then perhaps the Weight Release Program would suite your needs.

Eating treats in and of themselves isn’t a death sentence. How you go about it though might make all the difference in the world. Having someone to help you figure it out so you are not alone, is also a lovely idea. Perhaps that person is your mom, your significant other, me, or some other wonderful support person. Ask yourself, who can help you with your relationship to food?

If you’ve fully launched into 2017 with intent to make it your best year yet, we’re here for you in every way possible! You just need to reach out.